Master of Science in Recreation, Sport and Tourism - Online

Master's Degree 
Graduation Cap
Finish in 18 months
Training for an advanced career

Career Advancement Courses
Blue Certificate Seal 
Fully Online
Flexibility to learn anywhere 

Certificate
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Choose your focus area
Three 8-week options

Why choose a degree in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism?

The demand for professionals with an advanced degree in the leisure service industry continues to increase. Job opportunities in parks and recreation, sports management, hotel management, convention and tourist bureaus, health and fitness clubs, and volunteer and youth agencies, just to name a few, are on the rise. Employees with graduate degrees will have the best opportunities for supervisory or administrative positions.

Is an Online Master of Science in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism right for me? 

The online Master of Science in Recreation, Sport and Tourism is a 36-credit hour, 18-month degree with cohorts beginning in December, April and September. This degree provides you a quality and highly accessible education, ensuring that you are prepared to meet the changing requirements of the leisure services industry.

Stackable courses--Earn a Certificate.

Not ready to commit to a full master's program? You can start with the 12-credit-hour graduate certificate program, which is also fully online. If you decide to continue your education, all 12 of your credit hours in the certificate program will transfer into the master's degree program. To begin the certificate application process, fill out the expression of interest form




 

Admissions Requirements 
  • Bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited college or university
  • Cumulative 3.0 GPA (4.0 grading scale) in the last 60 credit hours/two years
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Personal Statement
  • International applicants must have proof of English proficiency (TOEFL IBT greater than 102; IELTS greater than 7.0)
  • No GRE required
Required Courses
  • One emphasis area course (4 hours) and three graduate elective courses (total of 12 hours) are required.
  • RST 501: Concepts & Applications in RST (4 credit hours)
  • RST 504: Applied Evaluation & Needs Assessment in RST (4 credit hours)
  • RST 512: Managing RST Organizations (4 credit hours)
  • RST 515: Marketing in RST (4 credit hours)
  • RST 516: Finance & Budgeting (4 credit hours)
  • RST 519: Strategic Management (4 credit hours) 
Alumni Have Landing Jobs At... 
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of America
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • National Park Service
  • NCAA, NFL, NBA, & PGA
  • St. Louis Cardinals     
  • US Olympic Committee
  • Chicago Blackhawks
Application Deadlines
  • Spring 2025
    Apply by December 12, 2024

Hear more from others

Hear from RST Alumna Eva Schmidt
Alumna Eva Schmidt shares how the online Master's Degree in RST from the University of Illinois helped her land her position as a customer service executive with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hear from RST Alumnus Jay Lopez
RST Alumnus, Jay Lopez, talks about how helpful this degree is for his management skills and that pursuing an online graduate degree is doable while working full-time with a young family.